1. Field of Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to improvements in methods of and apparatus for weighing produce items at point-of-sale (POS) environments.
2. Brief Description of the State of Knowledge in the Art
In demanding retail environments, such as supermarkets and high-volume department stores, where high check-out throughput is critical to achieving store profitability and customer satisfaction, it is common to use laser scanning bar code reading systems having both bottom and side-scanning windows to enable highly aggressive scanner performance. In such systems, the cashier need only drag a bar coded product past these scanning windows for the bar code thereon to be automatically read with minimal assistance of the cashier or checkout personal. Such dual scanning window systems are typically referred to as “bioptical” laser scanning systems as such systems employ two sets of optics disposed behind the bottom and side-scanning windows thereof. Examples of polygon-based bioptical laser scanning systems are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,229,588; 4,652,732 and 6,814,292; each incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Commercial examples of bioptical laser scanners include: the PSC 8500-6-sided laser based scanning by PSC Inc.; PSC 8100/8200, 5-sided laser based scanning by PSC Inc.; the NCR 7876-6-sided laser based scanning by NCR; the NCR7872, 5-sided laser based scanning by NCR; and the MS232x Stratos®H, and MS2122 Stratos® E Stratos 6 sided laser based scanning systems by Metrologic Instruments, Inc., and the MS2200 Stratos®S 5-sided laser based scanning system by Metrologic Instruments, Inc.
Most bi-optical laser scanning systems have integrated weight scales for measuring the weight of produce items during checkout operations. It is estimated that approximately 5% of the produce items found in supermarkets are oversized and therefore require either a larger weighing surface or other means to ensure the correct “full” weight is captured. When all of the weight is not captured for a weigh transaction, the retailer can lose money. This is referred to in the industry as “shrinkage loss”. In this day and age retailers looking to reduce losses and cost and are focusing at the front end check out. Retailers are paying more attention to front end “shrinkage” and expecting their scanner/scales to provide a means to address weighing of oversized produce.
In the mid 1990's, PSC introduced its All-Weighs™ solution with their Magellan SL 5-sided scanner. The ALL-Weighs solution was carried over to their 8100, 8200, 8500 and 9500 scanner/scale models. Basically the vertical outer window and horizontal weigh platter are connected and essentially one assembly. Thus, the operators are encouraged to lean or position an oversized produce item against the vertical window. The perceived advantage of this solution is that the operator will recognize an oversized produce item and place the item against the vertical window and capture all the weight. This is not always possible since many front-end checkout counters incorporate a POS keyboard above the scanner/scale vertical section. There may be insufficient clearance above the vertical window and placing a large produce item against the vertical window may not be possible for fear of interference with the keyboard. Another disadvantage of the ALL-Weighs solution is that oversized produce (e.g. watermelon and squash) can come in round shapes that do not easily stay positioned on the All-Weighs platter. In addition the physical act of positioning a large variable weight item away from the cashier is counter-intuitive and is not ergonomically safe in respect to the operator body position and stress on the lower back.
While these systems offer improvements in produce weight capture, they suffer from the disadvantage that not all housing surfaces are effectively utilized during product weigh capture, and also that debris builds up between platter and housing, and around the load cell of the electronic weigh scale subsystem, requiring regular cleaning or resulting eventually in a malfunctioning weigh system.
As an alternative to PSC's All-Weigh Solution, Metrologic has introduced a line of bi-optical scanner/scales which offer two different scanner-dependent solutions which offer a quick and intuitive method of weighing oversized produce items.
In the first solution, the MS2320 StratosH 6-sided scanner/scale incorporates a produce weigh/roll bar that serves two functions. The weigh/roll bar prevents products or produce from rolling off the scanning/weighing surface. The produce weigh/roll bar can be used to lean, or place oversized produce, in order to capture the full weight. The weigh/roll bar solution incorporated within Metrologic's StratosH 6-sided solution.
In the second solution, the StratosS MS2220 features a flip up bar as a means of weighing oversized produce. The flip up bar is normally in a “down” position resting within the platter stainless top plate. When an oversized produce item is encountered, the cashier uses his or her finger tip to lift up the bar to its “up” position where the produce can be rested to capture the full weight.
While these systems offer improvements in produce weight capture, they also suffer from the disadvantage that not all system housing surfaces are effectively utilized during product weigh capture, and also that debris builds up between platter and housing, and around the load cell of the electronic weigh scale subsystem, requiring regular cleaning or resulting eventually in a malfunctioning weigh system.
While various integrated weigh-scale solutions are currently available to weigh oversized produce and minimize shrinkage, there is still a great need in the art for an improved system and method which avoids the shortcomings and drawbacks of prior art systems and methodologies.